Garage door



Mar. 3, 1925.

H. MANIFOLD GARAGE noon Filed Sept. 15; 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ,4TTORNEY Mai; 3,1925. I 1,528,298

H. MANIFOLD GARAGE DOOR Filed Sept. 15, 1923 5 sheets-sheet 2 S "W aim j a N Io: ll l INVENTOR I Mar. 3, 1925.

H. MANIFOLD GARAGE DOOR Filed Sep 15, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet s 7 v A I A l x v l Y M G m M \N a H 5 x w m w Wm m r M W. W W N 1 MW 3 Q Q\ mg E a d I I. n N I w 1 ml Patented Mar. 3, 1925;

HERMAN MANIFOLD, OF DILLONVALE, OHIO.

ca mer: noon.

Application filed September 15, 1923. Serial No. 6%,834.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HERMAN MANIFOLD,

' a citizen of the United States of America,

and resident of Dillonvale, county of J efferson, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garage Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to doors, and more specifically to a door for garages, factories, and the like, and mechanism for opening and closing such doors.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a door, designed primarily for garages, having associated therewith novel and conveniently operated mechanism wherebyit may be opened and closed.

With this and other important objects in view, the invention resides in the features of construction, arrangement of parts and combinations of elements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure'l is a front elevation of my garage door and door-operating mechanism, ap-

' plied;

Figure 2 is a section on line 22, Fig. 1, showing the door in its elevated, open position and illustrating parts of the operating mechanism; 1

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view, in rear'elevation, of a door carrier or trolley and the trackway therefor;

Figure 4 is a similar view of a guide roller or carrier for the lower edge portion of the door e Figure 5 is an enlarged view, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section of the wer cylinder; 4

Figure 6 1s a detail section of an upper portion of the door disposed in closed position and showing, in side elevation, the latch mechanism by which unauthorized opening of'the door is prevented;

Fi re 7 is a ceiling view showing in plan the cor opening and closing mechanism; and

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the hand controls.

Referring to said drawings, 1 indicates generally a doorway opening provided in a building, as a public garage, 2 the door for closing said doorway, and 3 the ceiling of I the building inside said doorway and over the runway which leads inward from said doorway.

Located at each of the op osite sides of the doorway 1 are substantial yupright parallel members 4 which are spaced apart to provide a guideway 4" for a roller 5 carried by the adjacent lateral edge portion of the door near the bottom edge of the latter. Said roller is preferably mounted upon the laterally projectin spindle 6* of a rod or bar 6 which is rigidly attached in a horizontal position on the lower portion of the door,

as shown.

The door is suspended by wheels or trolleys 7 which are disposed for travel upon trackways 8 that are mounted horizontally in suita le position, as upon" the opposite side walls 9 which define the runway. Each of said trolleys is journaled' in a'bi'acket-like support or hanger 10' which has pivot-like connection with a bracket 11 fixed upon the upper edge portion of the door.

A cable 12 has its outer end attached to the lower portion of the door, preferably on the outer face of the latter, and said cable thence extends vertically over a pulley wheel 13 carried by a supporting bracket 14 located in a suitable position, as upon the ceiling 3, which overhangs the runway at a point adjacent to the top of the doorway 1.

aid cable thence extends inward and has its opposite end connected to the outer'end of a piston rod 16 which. projects from an end r 1,528,298 PATENT OFFICE.

of a power cylinder 17. Said cylinder,

which may employ therein either steam or compressed air for actuating the piston 18 by which said rod 16 is carried, is suitably mounted, as on the ceiling 3, and is made of dimensions suitable for performing its function of drawin said cable 12 inward throughout the stance necessary to effect complete elevation of the door from the closed position shown in Fig. 1' to the elevation of the door. In opening, the trolle s- 7 carrying the door travel inward upon t e trackways 8 and the rollers 5 travel up ward in the guideways 4. A relief valve 21 located in a suitable position, as in a pipe 22 which branches from the line 'at a point between the cylinder and the inlet valve 19, is opened to release the pressure in the-cylinder when it is desired that the door be lowered into closing relation to the doorway. As said pressure is gradually released, the door descends by gravity to its closing position.

The valves 19 and 21 are preferably of self-closing types and consequently remain closed except when manually held open. A cable 23 passed over or about suitably arranged pulleys, as 24 and 25 carried by brackets 26 and 27 mounted on the ceiling 3 and the wall 9, is attached at one end to one arm of a bell-crank lever 28. The opposite arm of said lever is connected, as by v a rod 29, to the valve 19 in such manner that a pull applied to said rod effects 0 ening of said valve. In like manner a ca 1e30, passed about suitably arranged ulleys 31 and 32 carried by brackets 33 and 27, is attached to one arm of a bell-cranklever 35 Gil havin its opposite end operatively con-- necte as by a rod 36, to the valve 21. The outer ends of said cables 23 and 30 depend over pulleys 37 and 38, respectively, in positions in which they may be conveniently grasped by hand for exerting valve-opening force therethrough, as indicated in Fig. 8. v A latch-like member 39 is mounted ona bracket 40 mounted in, a suitable position adjacent to opposite sides of the top of the door, as on a cross-bar or beam 41, for automatically assuming underlying supporting relation to the bottom edge portion of the door when the latter occupies its fully elevated position, as shown in Fig. 2. To provide for withdrawal of said supporting members or latches 39 simultaneously with the openin of the relief valve 21,-thereby to release an permit the descent of the door to closing position, suitable mechanism is provided intermediate said latches and the cable 30. As herein shown, said mechanism comprises a rod attached to one end of said cable 30, a lever 15 pivoted on the ceiling 3, rods 42 and 43 extending laterally in opposite directions from said lever and attached to the latter on opposite sides of the ivot thereof. The outer ends of said ro 42 and '43 are connected, as through bell cranks 44 and 45 and rods 46 and 47 respectively, with the opposite latches 39 in such manner that tractive force ap lied to the cable 30 for efiecting opening 0 the relief valve 21 acts simultaneously through the thereto attached rods and levers to swing said latches to door-releasingpositions.

A latch mechanism normally prevents elevation of the door from its lowered position. Said latch mechanism consists of a book 48 pivoted upon a bracket 49 mounted upon the beam 41 intermediate the ends of the latter in such position that it overlies the per edge of the door witlr'its downward in such manner that it is elevated to doordisengaging position simultaneously with the openmgpf the ressure inlet valve 19, sa1d mechanism, as erein shown for illustrative purposes, comprising a rod 51 attached at one end to said cable 23 and at its opposite end to an arm of a bell crank lever 52 which is pivoted on a bracket 53 mounted on the ceiling. A rod or cable 54 connects the opposite arm of said bell crank 52 to an end of a second bell-crank lever 55 which overhangs the hook and which has its opposite end attached by an intermediate link 56 to the free end of said hook. As is obvious, force applied to the cable 23 for 0 ening valve 19 acts through the interme iate mechanism to retract the hook 48 to a ponisms and that I do not contemplate limit-1 in myself thereto.

at is claimed is 1. The combination with a wall of a building having a doorway therein, of a door for closing said door-way, trolleys attached to the upper part of said door in supporting relation to the latter, horizontal inwardly extending trackways for said trolleys, substantially upright guideways at oposite sides of said doorwa rollers carried y the lower portion of sa1d door disposed for travel in said guideways, a ulley supported over said doorwa a cab e attached to the lower part of sai door and passing over said ulley, a fluid-pressure cylinder having a piston and piston rod, said piston rod being connected to said cable, manually shiftable means for introducing pressure into said cylinder for actuating movement of said rod whereb tractive force is exerted through said ca le for producing travel horizontal doorway opening position, a

latch normally engaged with and preventing elevation of said door, and means intermediate said' latch and said manually-shiftable means whereby actuation of the latter also effects withdrawal of said latch from operative position.

2. The combination with a ,wall of a building having a doorway therein, of a door for closing said doorway, trolleys attached to the u per part of said door in supporting relation to the latter, horizontal inwardly extending trackways for said trolleys, substantially upright guideways at opposite sides of said doorway, rollers carried by the lower portion of said door disposed for travel in said guideways, a pulley supported over said doorway, a cable attached to the lower part of said door and passing over said pulley, a fluid-pressure cylinder having a piston and piston rod, said piston rod bem connected to said cable, manually shifta 1e means for introducing pressure into said cylinder for actuating movement of said rod whereby tractive force is exerted through said cable for producing travel of said door to an elevated substantially horizontal doorway opening position, means for releasing the actuating pressure to allow the door to gravitate to doorway closing position, devices engage-- able with the bottom portion of the door when the latter assumes its fully elevated position whereby it, is supported against lowering movement, and means intermediate said devices and the pressure releasing means whereby actuation of the latter also eflects movement of said devices to inoperative positions.

3. The combination with a Wall of a building having a doorway therein, of a door for closing said doorway, trolleys attached to the upper part of said door in supporting relation'to the latter, horizontal inwardly extending trackways for said trolleys, substantially upright guideways at op- Eosite sides of said doorway, rollers carried y the lower portion of said door disposed for travel in said guideways, a ulley supported over said doorway, a cab e attached to the lower part of said door and passing over said pulley, a fluid-pressure cylinder having a piston and piston rod said piston rod being connected to said cable, manually shiftable means for introducing pressure into said cylinder for actuating movement of said rod whereby tractive force is exerted through said cable for producing travel of said door to an elevated substantially horizontal doorway opening position, a latch normally engaged with and prevent- 1ng elevation of said door, means mtermediate said latch and said manually-shiftable means whereby actuation of the latter also effects withdrawal of said latch from operative position, devices engageable with the bottom portion of the door when the latter assumes its fully elevated position whereby it is supported against lowering movement, and means intermediate said devices and the ressure releasing means whereby actuation of the latter also effects movement of said devices to inoperative positions.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMAN. MANIFOLD.

Witnesses:

Hncron B. GERARD, Com Hoornm 

